The Definitive Winch Thread

[Chrome_Pony]

Some thoughts:

Westin bought Superwinch after bankruptcy, and a year plus their parts supply chain is still not in place.

I have had a Warn, 2 MileMarkers, and 3 Superwinch, and I still have all but the Warn, which was the least reliable, so I repaired it and sold it, though that was an ATV winch, to be fair.

The TJ has a MileMarker EP9000, the Colorado has a Superwinch Tigershark 9500. I like features on both, the auto brake on the MM, and the power and speed of the Tigershark. I retrofitted the plug from the Terra 45 and Terra 35 winches I have, so now they all use the same remote. Upgraded to 2/0 copper wiring on the big winches. When winching heavy, small cables can become fusible links. Best to err on the side of caution.

Bronco Aux Switches, cough... wire hookups are under the hood.

Winch requires momentary on/off/momentary on. AUX switches are constant on/off. If for some reason you wanted a power on/off switch to kill power to the winch, that's where the AUX switch would work.

I apologize if I’m repeating a question that’s been answered before, but will the factory winch be operable with the accessory switches in the cab? To me, that would be really slick & worth adding on. If it isn’t, would it be hard to set it up like that?

Yes, the winch controls can be remoted into the cab. Some Toyotas even came this way from the factory.

The controls for the winch are not high amperage in the same way that the winch motor is. Your contactors (solenoids for older winches) in the control box are the heavy lifters.

Can you put a Hazard Fraught winch on your truck and be fine? Probably. Most winches are hardly ever used to their capacity, let alone used at all. But winches are like firearms: when you need them, you REALLY need them, and they absolutely MUST work. If you're confident in not getting into a situation where you are in dire need, and just occasionally move trees or a trailer or dead car around, the HF might work for you.

Sponsored

 

[BroncoKong Jr.]

Westin bought Superwinch after bankruptcy, and a year plus their parts supply chain is still not in place.

The Superwinch EXP was so cool, but it disappeared from the lineup when they got bought. I seem to remember they might've been sued for infringement or something by Warn?

Yes, the winch controls can be remoted into the cab. Some Toyotas even came this way from the factory.

Pretty damn cool

 

[N3T]

Some thoughts:

Westin bought Superwinch after bankruptcy, and a year plus their parts supply chain is still not in place.

I have had a Warn, 2 MileMarkers, and 3 Superwinch, and I still have all but the Warn, which was the least reliable, so I repaired it and sold it, though that was an ATV winch, to be fair.

The TJ has a MileMarker EP9000, the Colorado has a Superwinch Tigershark 9500. I like features on both, the auto brake on the MM, and the power and speed of the Tigershark. I retrofitted the plug from the Terra 45 and Terra 35 winches I have, so now they all use the same remote. Upgraded to 2/0 copper wiring on the big winches. When winching heavy, small cables can become fusible links. Best to err on the side of caution.




Winch requires momentary on/off/momentary on. AUX switches are constant on/off.




Yes, the winch controls can be remoted into the cab. Some Toyotas even came this way from the factory.

The controls for the winch are not high amperage in the same way that the winch motor is. Your contactors (solenoids for older winches) in the control box are the heavy lifters.

Can you put a Hazard Fraught winch on your truck and be fine? Probably. Most winches are hardly ever used to their capacity, let alone used at all. But winches are like firearms: when you need them, you REALLY need them, and they absolutely MUST work. If you're confident in not getting into a situation where you are in dire need, and just occasionally move trees or a trailer or dead car around, the HF might work for you.

Thank you for taking the time to write all that out, I feel a lot smarter now!

Ok, knowing all that, do you think you will spring for the factory winch on your new Bronco? ?

 

[lightbulb]

When I need a winch, it is because I am already in a sticky situation. I am known to be cheap, but I don't cheap out on recovery gear. When you need it, the last thing you think about is how much you paid for it.

Of all the things I like on the new Bronco, I have not been impressed with the winch mounting pictures. I much prefer mounting in the bumper. I think it looks better and it keeps the sun off the line. Hopefully more mounting options are to come.

Which winch do you intend to purchase for your Bronco? Warn
Which brands/models do you recommend to buy or avoid? Recommend Warn. Avoid ones that advertise specs as good as a Warn and cost half as much.
Steel vs. Synthetic? Synthetic. Lighter and safer.
Do you plan to bring one that is already on another vehicle? New vehicle gets a new winch
Techniques? If you have to use it to get out of a jam then it was a good investment. If you never use it then lucky you, it was good insurance.
Accessories? Wireless remote, Factor 55 shackle mount, snatch block, tree saver, d-ring shackles, line repair kit, and recovery strap.

 

[Chrome_Pony]

The Superwinch EXP was so cool, but it disappeared from the lineup when they got bought. I seem to remember they might've been sued for infringement or something by Warn?

Pretty damn cool

If there was a lawsuit I missed it.

Superwinch had some really great ideas, like the EXP and the ROAM app and adapter, that let your phone become a wireless controller (brilliant) but their parts supply and drawings were not in Warn's league. For Warn winches you can view the exploded diagram and buy every single part comprising the winch, where Superwich aggregated them.

Winch not powering out? Well, your clutch pack is seized or smoked, but you have to buy an entire gearbox to fix it. Not a good way to handle your customer base. I fervently hope Westin is taking so long because they're doing away with management decisions like that one.

Thank you for taking the time to write all that out, I feel a lot smarter now!

Ok, knowing all that, do you think you will spring for the factory winch on your new Bronco?

Currently, I'm leaning towards MileMarker, which was my very first winch. They are doing some interesting things with lighted remotes, modular handlebar switch/remote designs in the ATV/UTV world.

I definitely would not purchase the Warn/Ford as shown thus far. Whatever you mount in front of the bumper (Hi-Lift/winch/lightbar) becomes the bumper in a collision. I realize there may be some park/collision sensor that requires that particular design, but protecting the winch is more important to me. Especially when the only implacable enemy of synthetic line is UV exposure. Cover it up!

There will be eleventeen aftermarket offerings, many with a hidden style, or more protected cradle style.

I might even just run a front hitch like my Colorado is set up and not even have to buy a winch, just another set of Anderson 350A QDs and some 2/0 cable.

Some more tech-adapted people will even make a business out of Bronco-specific parts when they find that the general mass-produced aftermarket isn't meeting the needs. I watched Midwest Overland Industries start up by making a Colorado GMT700 winch bumper that mirrored the factory lines better than anything else on the market at the time.

 

[Bison]

When I need a winch, it is because I am already in a sticky situation. I am known to be cheap, but I don't cheap out on recovery gear. When you need it, the last thing you think about is how much you paid for it.

Of all the things I like on the new Bronco, I have not been impressed with the winch mounting pictures. I much prefer mounting in the bumper. I think it looks better and it keeps the sun off the line. Hopefully more mounting options are to come.

Which winch do you intend to purchase for your Bronco? Warn
Which brands/models do you recommend to buy or avoid? Recommend Warn. Avoid ones that advertise specs as good as a Warn and cost half as much.
Steel vs. Synthetic? Synthetic. Lighter and safer.
Do you plan to bring one that is already on another vehicle? New vehicle gets a new winch
Techniques? If you have to use it to get out of a jam then it was a good investment. If you never use it then lucky you, it was good insurance.
Accessories? Wireless remote, Factor 55 shackle mount, snatch block, tree saver, d-ring shackles, line repair kit, and recovery strap.

nah
Buddies of mine build buggies and rarely go on a trail rated under 8 out of 10. They have busted 100’s of shackles and Over 30 winches. I asked before buying my winch 12 years ago what winch I should get. I had been researching and it looked like warn was the way to go. These guys have jeeps on 42’s as well so I assumed American made all the way. His answer was smitty built. They used to use warn but they would break then run out of warranty and cost a lot to rebuild. He told me smitty built would break as often as warn but you can get a 3 year warranty on the smitty and it’s half the cost. But there is nothing wrong with warn either it’s just more money. I ran into him on the trail when he was working out some kinks on one of his buggy builds. Thats his friends bronco that he was also testing out on the trail. ( his buggy is behind the bronco)
Oh and on that same day the captain of the broncos defense rolled his 130,000$ dollar jeep. He was coming down and we were going up. Smashed it up pretty good but still drivable. The cheerleaders didn’t look all to happy.?

 

[lightbulb]

nah
Buddies of mine build buggies and rarely go on a trail rated under 8 out of 10. They have busted 100’s of shackles and Over 30 winches. I asked before buying my winch 12 years ago what winch I should get. I had been researching and it looked like warn was the way to go. These guys have jeeps on 42’s as well so I assumed American made all the way. His answer was smitty built. They used to use warn but they would break then run out of warranty and cost a lot to rebuild. He told me smitty built would break as often as warn but you can get a 3 year warranty on the smitty and it’s half the cost. But there is nothing wrong with warn either it’s just more money. I ran into him on the trail when he was working out some kinks on one of his buggy builds. Thats his friends bronco that he was also testing out on the trail. ( his buggy is behind the bronco)
Oh and on that same day the captain of the broncos defense rolled his 130,000$ dollar jeep. He was coming down and we were going up. Smashed it up pretty good but still drivable. The cheerleaders didn’t look all to happy.?

I have never had a smitty built winch so can not argue. That said, I always thought you substitute the 'm' with a 'h' and that tells you the quality of smitty built. Sorry could not resist.

 

[Bison]

I have never had a smitty built winch so can not argue. That said, I always thought you substitute the 'm' with a 'h' and that tells you the quality of smitty built. Sorry could not resist.

Don’t hate the player hate the game. I had a horrible winch before the smitty. Did everything I could to not pull it as it didn’t free wheel easy. Almost took everything I had But it never failed me. The smitty free wheels like a warn.
I have a warn 12,000 on my power wagon. Already got a new one under warranty when it broke.

 

[SamG]

a rear mounted winch would have to be only installed when used - which I think would be a pain in the ass.
You obvi don't want it installed when you are trying to climb over stuff as it kills the break over angle

 

[DaveH]

If there was a lawsuit I missed it.

Superwinch had some really great ideas, like the EXP and the ROAM app and adapter, that let your phone become a wireless controller (brilliant) but their parts supply and drawings were not in Warn's league. For Warn winches you can view the exploded diagram and buy every single part comprising the winch, where Superwich aggregated them.

Winch not powering out? Well, your clutch pack is seized or smoked, but you have to buy an entire gearbox to fix it. Not a good way to handle your customer base. I fervently hope Westin is taking so long because they're doing away with management decisions like that one.



Currently, I'm leaning towards MileMarker, which was my very first winch. They are doing some interesting things with lighted remotes, modular handlebar switch/remote designs in the ATV/UTV world.

I definitely would not purchase the Warn/Ford as shown thus far. Whatever you mount in front of the bumper (Hi-Lift/winch/lightbar) becomes the bumper in a collision. I realize there may be some park/collision sensor that requires that particular design, but protecting the winch is more important to me. Especially when the only implacable enemy of synthetic line is UV exposure. Cover it up!

There will be eleventeen aftermarket offerings, many with a hidden style, or more protected cradle style.

I might even just run a front hitch like my Colorado is set up and not even have to buy a winch, just another set of Anderson 350A QDs and some 2/0 cable.

Some more tech-adapted people will even make a business out of Bronco-specific parts when they find that the general mass-produced aftermarket isn't meeting the needs. I watched Midwest Overland Industries start up by making a Colorado GMT700 winch bumper that mirrored the factory lines better than anything else on the market at the time.

I'm curious what folks think about this Superwinch option:
https://www.westinautomotive.com/superwinch-winch2go-portable-utility-winches

Some pros I can think of:

• Can be left at home when not needed, like when DD.
• Can be used on the front, back, or wherever.
• Could easily be used to help extract another vehicle without being dependent on being able to maneuver your bumper mounted hitch to a good location.
• Easy to transfer to another vehicle. (For example: We head out on a snowy day in one of our other vehicles, we could put this in the trunk.)
• Doesn't block the front camera.
• Isn't exposed to the elements, water, snow, salt, etc.

Cons I can think of:

• Longer setup time.
• Takes up room elsewhere to store it vs on the front bumper.
• Only has a 4000# rating.
• If used in muddy conditions, it will make a mess inside the vehicle went putting away.

Considering that I would rarely use a winch, if ever, this seems like a nice option that doesn't require a mounting solution.

Disclaimer: I've never owned a winch, and it was decades ago when I last used a winch with a buddy who had one. (And neither of us really knew what we were doing.)

 

[da_jokker]

I'm curious what folks think about this Superwinch option:
https://www.westinautomotive.com/superwinch-winch2go-portable-utility-winches

Some pros I can think of:

• Can be left at home when not needed, like when DD.
• Can be used on the front, back, or wherever.
• Could easily be used to help extract another vehicle without being dependent on being able to maneuver your bumper mounted hitch to a good location.
• Easy to transfer to another vehicle. (For example: We head out on a snowy day in one of our other vehicles, we could put this in the trunk.)
• Doesn't block the front camera.
• Isn't exposed to the elements, water, snow, salt, etc.

Cons I can think of:

• Longer setup time.
• Takes up room elsewhere to store it vs on the front bumper.
• Only has a 4000# rating.
• If used in muddy conditions, it will make a mess inside the vehicle went putting away.

Considering that I would rarely use a winch, if ever, this seems like a nice option that doesn't require a mounting solution.

Disclaimer: I've never owned a winch, and it was decades ago when I last used a winch with a buddy who had one. (And neither of us really knew what we were doing.)

That is a really nice concept, but I'd be worried that it can't pull enough. The Bronco for example is 6,000 lbs. So how heavy is that if you are just on dry and flat pavement? Now put that on a hill or stuck in the mud or snow?

I know people have used the 8000lbs warn winches for Jeeps and such and this one claims if you use a snatch to double back it can do 8k.

I would love this as an option, simply because it stores nice and won't interfere with the front cam or the cupholders.

 

[jsharpe]

I'm curious what folks think about this Superwinch option:
https://www.westinautomotive.com/superwinch-winch2go-portable-utility-winches

Some pros I can think of:

• Can be left at home when not needed, like when DD.
• Can be used on the front, back, or wherever.
• Could easily be used to help extract another vehicle without being dependent on being able to maneuver your bumper mounted hitch to a good location.
• Easy to transfer to another vehicle. (For example: We head out on a snowy day in one of our other vehicles, we could put this in the trunk.)
• Doesn't block the front camera.
• Isn't exposed to the elements, water, snow, salt, etc.

Cons I can think of:

• Longer setup time.
• Takes up room elsewhere to store it vs on the front bumper.
• Only has a 4000# rating.
• If used in muddy conditions, it will make a mess inside the vehicle went putting away.

Considering that I would rarely use a winch, if ever, this seems like a nice option that doesn't require a mounting solution.

Disclaimer: I've never owned a winch, and it was decades ago when I last used a winch with a buddy who had one. (And neither of us really knew what we were doing.)

For all the reasons you describe I'm also looking at "portable" winch options. However, I would prefer something with a higher rating so am looking at a receiver cradle with a full size winch. Something like one of these. The receiver hitch on the back is already covered so just would need someone to come up with one for the front either as part of a new pumper or some kind addition. Sure it will take up more room than the winch2go option but we have ordered a 4dr that will be my wife's DD and would only be taking the winch when we went off-road.

 

[dgorsett]

I checked with a source and was told the back of the eyelets are where the bumper attaches to the frame rails. I would maybe replace the OEM bolts with case hardened steel and locktight, and perhaps drill and add a bolt or two, will have to see. Had a friend lose a toad when the base plate broke free, seemed he didn't use 'red' locktight.

I inspected the shackle mounts in Moab. Factory shackles are mounted with three (I assume hardened) bolts. They bolt to a flat metal plate welded to the end of the frame. The plate is , frankly, not very heavy but ford apparently thinks it's strong enough for towing and winching.

I'm getting a BB with the Base Bumper and plan to replace the lower tow loops with a shackle adapter. Each is held to the under side of the frame with two bolts. Definitely want locktite there. They are at the correct height for my tow rig. The upper shackle location is too high I think. .

Then I would install the upper shackles behind the rectangular 'box' for safety cables and get unstuck towing, like the one on the right in this photo.

If you use a folding bar that stays on the towed it would interfere with the intercooler and sensor box when folded if you use the upper mounts.

All this is tentative pending a better idea. Your comments would be welcome.

 

[Virtual-Chris]

I'm curious what folks think about this Superwinch option:
https://www.westinautomotive.com/superwinch-winch2go-portable-utility-winches

Some pros I can think of:

• Can be left at home when not needed, like when DD.
• Can be used on the front, back, or wherever.
• Could easily be used to help extract another vehicle without being dependent on being able to maneuver your bumper mounted hitch to a good location.
• Easy to transfer to another vehicle. (For example: We head out on a snowy day in one of our other vehicles, we could put this in the trunk.)
• Doesn't block the front camera.
• Isn't exposed to the elements, water, snow, salt, etc.

Cons I can think of:

• Longer setup time.
• Takes up room elsewhere to store it vs on the front bumper.
• Only has a 4000# rating.
• If used in muddy conditions, it will make a mess inside the vehicle went putting away.

Considering that I would rarely use a winch, if ever, this seems like a nice option that doesn't require a mounting solution.

Disclaimer: I've never owned a winch, and it was decades ago when I last used a winch with a buddy who had one. (And neither of us really knew what we were doing.)

It has mixed reviews on Amazon which is not surprising. For example, someone said it burned out after 10 uses. I think in my 50 years, I've had one or two occasions to use a winch... never mind 10 times. I think if you find you need a winch that often, you have bigger issues with your judgement. LOL.

Anyway, I think if you want something as a rare emergency recovery solution, this is probably a great choice. Personally, I find a HiLift jack is more useful for a variety of things, and can be used as a manual winch in the rare situation I might need that. So I'll probably just stick with my HiLift.

As much as I'd like a bumper mounted winch for for the aggressive looks, the fact it blocks the camera is a non-starter. That trail camera is a game changer for off-roading and will help you avoid needing a winch in the first place. Plus, all that weight hanging off the front all the time would bug me.

 

[Headsong]

How about this : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007UFH592/?tag=wmania2-20

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